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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29851215">Even the Sun Says Goodbye</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiyawrites/pseuds/kaiyawrites'>kaiyawrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Castles, Fluff, M/M, Multi Chapter, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Prince Iwaizumi, Princes, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Sorcerers, Strangers to Lovers, Tags May Change, iwaoi - Freeform, more characters will be added, pls bear with me, sorcerer oikawa, this will take a while</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:33:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,563</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29851215</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiyawrites/pseuds/kaiyawrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sorcerer Oikawa lives in a country where sorcery is outlawed, but he makes do by running a business with some of his friends. He's never wanted to interact with the royal family ever since they drove his parents out for wielding magic when he was a child, and he's never had to deal with royalty until one day when he doesn't realize who he's saving from danger.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. unwanted responsibilities</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A little bit of a slow beginning, but this is a multi-chapter story that has been sitting in my brain for months now so I finally got around to writing it. pls enjoy excuse my messy writing style i'm getting back into it<br/>Merlin inspired! <br/>And don't worry, more characters will make their appearances later on heheh</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, get off your ass and help me make drinks for the front.”</p><p>Oikawa shoved his nose deeper into his book in response, close enough to the pages to make his glasses fog up just a bit. “Yeah, just give me 10 pages,” he mumbled absentmindedly. </p><p>“I <em> said, </em>get up.”</p><p>A loud smack sounded as Oikawa took a hand to the head, and he immediately dropped his book to stare at the other. “Makki, that hurts,” Oikawa whined.</p><p>“This business will hurt if you don’t actually do any work.” Makki’s blank expression left Oikawa speechless, but it quickly morphed into a smirk when Oikawa stood up from his seat. “Now hurry up, I don’t know how much Kunimi can take on his own.”</p><p>With curious eyes, Oikawa peered into the front of the cafe from behind the curtains that concealed the kitchen area. “I could probably just use some powers to make a few drinks real quick without anyone noticing- Makki!” </p><p>Another swift hit from Makki quickly shut the blubbering idiot up. “Are you stupid? The last time you used sorcery to make a snack, the king’s men came over here to investigate us. I’m not doing that again. Now go make those drinks, and make them properly.” </p><p>Oikawa rubbed the back of his head briefly, watching as Makki headed out to help Kunimi at the front. Everyday life had never felt so… everyday. </p><p>The bell at the front desk rang continuously, signaling a new order or two once every few minutes. A groan sounded from Oikawa at the sight of the pile of receipts that was starting to form, but he got to work nonetheless. His hands moved with needlepoint accuracy as he poured coffee, espresso shots, and cream into various sized cups, not stopping until Makki called him up to the front. </p><p>At the counter, Kunimi and Makki were having a conversation with a face Oikawa hadn’t caught in a long time. “Mattsun?”</p><p>“Hey, Tooru.” Mattsun lifted his drink to him in acknowledgement, before turning back to the other two who looked like they were waiting for something. “Yeah, he’s in town right now. I tried to follow him around, but he told me to take a break and just meet him later.” </p><p>Oikawa raised an eyebrow, grabbing his own drink before coming up to stand with the others. “Who are we talking about?”</p><p>“The crown prince of Miyamori. Who else?” Kunimi quipped lightly, not expecting the flick on the forehead that followed. </p><p>“I’d fire you if I owned this place,” Oikawa muttered, just managing to avoid locking with Makki’s intense death glare. “So how is prince duty going?” His words were laced with resentment. Talking about the royal family was one thing; having an old friend of his be the personal advisor to the crown prince was another.</p><p>“He’s not half bad, Tooru. It’s just his father that seems like a prick.”</p><p>Sorcery had been illegal since Oikawa was a child. The King himself had declared that any sorcerer was to be hunted and killed on sight. From that time onward, Oikawa had been left in the care of a family friend, his parents not wanting to risk their son’s life. His father was a well known sorcerer, who Oikawa hadn’t seen since he was left to Makki’s family when he was 7. Oikawa was 22 now.</p><p>“Doesn’t change the fact that his family outlawed sorcery.” His chest rumbled with a low anger, filling the room with a tension that Makki wanted to snap in half. </p><p>“Tooru,” Makki called to grab a piece of his attention. “We’re out of milk.” He stared at the empty carton of milk that lay sideways on the counter before shooting a glance back at Oikawa. “Wanna run to the store and get some?”</p><p>Oikawa let out a huff. “Why not Kunimi?”</p><p>“Because Kunimi does more work than you, dumbass. Now get going.”</p><p>Mattsun chuckled at the exchange between his old friends, watching as Oikawa angrily threw on a jacket. “If I end up leaving before I see you, I’ll catch you around, Tooru.” Just like old times, Mattsun held up an arm to bump with Oikawa’s, giving him an expression only Oikawa could understand. “Don’t be rash.”</p><p>“What kind of person do you think I am?” Oikawa grinned back, bumping arms with Mattsun before waving at the group and opening the door.. "Make sure they don't do anything dirty while I'm gone, Kunimi!" He chirped in a sweet tone, earning less than sweet stares from Makki and Mattsun as he stepped out of the cafe.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It was a bit of a walk to the closest grocery store. Despite living in a well developed city, everything was spaced out a little further than it needed to be. Not that it bothered Oikawa; he enjoyed letting the breeze ruffle his hair whenever he took walks throughout the streets. His hands were tucked away in his pockets, using just a sliver of his power to keep them from freezing over. He should have brought gloves. </p><p>The sunlight dripped heat onto him, but it wasn’t enough to battle the winter wind that occasionally whipped what felt like icicles on his face. Little imaginary daggers stuck themselves to Oikawa’s cheeks, forcing his hands to come out of his pockets to cover his face just for a split second. He couldn’t risk anything, not with sorcery sensors placed all over the city. For the first time in a while, Oikawa felt suffocated by the laws. </p><p>A scoff forced itself out from his mouth as he turned his eyes towards the ground. Oikawa was just out to get milk. He didn’t need to be this worked up about it. </p><p>Before Oikawa processed his surroundings, he had already found himself outside the grocery store, the automatic doors beckoning him inside. His mind was blank, only pointless thoughts circling the track in his head. As he walked through the aisles, the emptiness in his mind was overtaken by something Oikawa hadn’t felt in a long time. There was another source of power besides his. It was almost overwhelming. A shudder rattled down his spine, and he felt colder than he did when he was still outside. The air was thick, and Oikawa struggled a little bit to catch a breath. Whatever was here, <em> whoever </em>was here with this ability, was letting malicious intent seep into the area. Not wanting to stay any longer, Oikawa grabbed a carton of milk and rushed to the checkout area, hastily saying thank you to the employees before stepping back outside. The air outside was colder than ever.</p><p>The sorcerer in hiding almost stumbled back at the amount of power that loomed in the streets. Having little to almost no training of his own, Oikawa had difficulty trying to pinpoint where the other source of magic was. Like any other sorcerer, his eyes glowed with a light that made it look like he had captured the sun in his gaze. Usually, he would be more careful with this effect, but he brushed it off today since blaming the sun for the glow was still an option. Milk carton in hand, Oikawa headed down the streets the opposite direction he was supposed to be heading. He needed to know who was using sorcery this strong. He needed to know why it was filled with anger and hatred.</p><p>The further he walked, the stronger the pressure in the air became. Oikawa’s honing skills were nowhere close to being defined, as were most of his other abilities. Only the spells he could use on inanimate objects were close to 100% perfect, and even so, they couldn’t be used without a great deal of preparation. As he kept pressing on, second thoughts started to knock on the back of his mind. What was he supposed to do when he found the person behind it all? Report them? <em> Join them? </em> Oikawa then gave himself a slap on the wrist, along with a mental note telling himself that he would be fine. </p><p>Finally, he turned one last corner. Malice and revenge greeted him before he could even stop to think. Oikawa could feel some sort of venom dripping through the air, reaching into his subconscious and strangling his mind. To anyone else who walked by, this place was completely normal. Only someone with their own source of magic would be able to catch onto an area filled with sorcery.</p><p>It took half of Oikawa’s energy to keep walking, and the other half to keep a straight face underneath all the mental pressure that was being forced onto him. His eyes moved quickly, scanning any area he could to find the other sorcerer. Oikawa debated about starting a mental battle with them, but quickly decided against it after realizing how much power could be stored behind this wall of resentment. Instead, he searched for the beginning and the end of the thread. Every spell had a thread; it started with the user, and always ended with- <em> the subject. </em> </p><p>The words echoed in the back of his head as his gaze fixed onto a figure that stood leaning against a lamp pole nearby. Oikawa wanted to read into the situation as best he could, but the mask on the who would be the victim of the incoming spell prevented him from catching any sort of emotion. Slowly, he made his way closer to the figure, hoping to at least get a clearer vision of where the spell thread was going. As the distance between the two lessened, trails of magic slowly made themselves known to Oikawa, flickering in and out of existence before his eyes. It was definitely different from any kind of thread he had seen before. These ones were dark; there was a grudge behind them that Oikawa couldn’t even begin to understand. And quite frankly, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to understand.</p><p>Oikawa flinched at what sounded like the crack of a whip, now realizing that multiple strands of the sorcery in the area had started to straighten and connect. The sheer force of the echo almost sent him reeling, but he stood his ground regardless. His head pounded against the overwhelming volume of the surrounding sorcery. Oikawa had never wished so strongly to get rid of this ability of his. </p><p>Suddenly, his head shot up to look on the road. The beginning of the thread had made itself visible. Oikawa’s eyes glinted faintly, his focus now stuck on the car that was drenched in malice. Inside was someone who looked like the embodiment of anger; his expression was colder than the depths of the ocean itself. It had been a while since Oikawa had felt this afraid. Instead of lingering, Oikawa shifted his weight forward, turning his head towards the ground and forcing himself onwards. As he walked past the masked man, Oikawa made a mental note about where he was standing. If he walked too far away, he would need to short warp multiple times in order to get back to the unsuspecting victim. Not to mention, Oikawa had to take extreme caution. The man in the car might not care if he was caught for using sorcery, but Oikawa did.</p><p>One second. Two. Three. Nothing happened.</p><p>Ten steps. Eleven. Twelve. Nothing happened.</p><p>One breath. Two breaths. Then everything happened. </p><p>Oikawa watched as the man in the car slammed his foot on the gas pedal and veered towards the stranger behind him, before willingly allowing himself to be swallowed by a dark portal. To anyone else, everything would have happened too fast for them to even react. Call it luck or call it fate; Oikawa was beyond relieved that it was him who was here. </p><p>Despite the fact that Oikawa had never been given a change to openly practice his abilities, he had become adept at using what his father could briefly teach him before he went into hiding. But right now, the lack of training also gave him the hidden advantage. His ability to use sorcery while still suppressing the wavelengths it released was a strength that he had only managed to nurture while living in hiding. </p><p>“Hey! Move!”</p><p>Oikawa’s short warps brought him closer to the other person faster than the car was moving. Just narrowly, he avoided the lamp post the masked man was leaning on, tackling him with full force before twisting his body around to avoid crushing the stranger. A huff was forced out of Oikawa’s lungs as the other landed on top of him and they tumbled away, barely missing the car that slammed into the pole just about a meter away from their entangled limbs. With much effort, Oikawa struggled out from beneath the almost-victim to an attempted murder, his arms shaking with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. He glanced at the other timidly, who had pulled his mask off to breathe just a little bit easier. As they made eye contact, Oikawa took a mental step backward. </p><p>His eyes were a steely green. They were chilling.</p><p>Oikawa’s gaze lingered on the other’s, trapped and entranced in a way that only happened when you saw the ocean for the first time. The only difference was that Oikawa felt more fear running through his veins than wonder. It was only when his voice cut the string of awkward silence that Oikawa snapped back into reality. </p><p>“You might want to get out of here before anything else happens to you,” he stated calmly before shifting his head to the side.</p><p>Oikawa could only blink in response. He at least expected a thank you from the stranger, and not just another warning. “Hang on-”</p><p>This time, it was Oikawa’s turn to get tackled. Something between a yelp and a grunt sounded from the back of his throat as he felt a shoulder slam into his side and push him further to the ground. Between the amount of spinning his head was doing and the new source of pain that shot through his shoulder, Oikawa could barely make out the words of a new voice. </p><p>“What the hell were you just doing? State your business!” A low voice growled at Oikawa. It sounded like one that belonged to a dog, and a mad one at that. </p><p>“Wait, Kyoutani. Release him.”</p><p>“Prince Iwaizumi-”</p><p>“I <em> said, </em> release him. And what did I tell you about using my title out here?” </p><p>Realization slammed into Oikawa the same way the guard named Kyoutani did. He kept his eyes downcast as weight was lifted away from him, not even daring to look back at who had just been revealed as the crown prince of this country. Caught somewhere between a daze and full awareness, Oikawa brought himself to his feet, evading Kyoutani’s prying eyes. </p><p>“My apologies,” Oikawa said softly, bowing his head towards Iwaizumi.</p><p>“No need for apologies.” Iwaizumi nodded in return, but it was out of Oikawa’s sight.</p><p>The words were muddled as they travelled through Oikawa’s mind. Voices around him slurred into white noise, and the only thing clear in his head was that he had somehow managed to lose an entire carton of milk. A familiar voice was what brought the daydreaming sorcerer back to ground zero. </p><p>“Iwaizumi! I got a bunch of calls! What happened?” </p><p>Oikawa watched as Iwazumi peered over his shoulder, leading him to turn around himself to see no one other than Mattsun jogging up to meet them. Almost embarrassed, Oikawa nodded shyly at Mattsun, before setting his gaze downward again. </p><p>“Geh- Tooru?”</p><p>“Hey, Mattsun,” he laughed awkwardly. “I was just about to head back to the cafe after picking up some more milk.” </p><p>Iwaizumi split his attention between the other two, raising an eyebrow at the one who had just arrived. “You know him, Matsukawa?”</p><p>Until now, Oikawa had kept his head down, but he slowly started to lift it back up when Mattsun came closer. As the results of the current situation settled into his mind, Oikawa couldn’t help the stone that was beginning to set in his stomach. He was never one to doubt his actions, but this time, he wondered what would have been if he had stayed away from the scene in the first place. </p><p>“Yeah, he’s a friend of mine. Oi, Kyoutani, what’s with that look?” Mattsun waved the guard away, scoffing lightly before turning back to the prince. “So, what happened?” He inquired again, shooting an uneven look at the car that had been slammed into the pole next to them. </p><p>“Just the usual attempted assasination,” Iwaizumi sighed dejectedly. “Your friend here though… he managed to get me out of the way.”</p><p>As the words were spoken, Oikawa looked over at the prince. He didn’t expect Iwaizumi to be as reserved as he was now. The surprise was just a little too obvious on his face, which earned him a light elbow in the side from Mattsun. Oikawa grunted softly in response, but shifted his eyes away nonetheless. Catching Iwaizumi’s attention was exactly what he didn’t need to do today. </p><p>Around them, people had started to gather, the murmurs of people commenting on things like Iwaizumi’s presence and the wrecked car buzzing aimlessly in Oikawa’s ears. It wasn’t long before reporters showed up, trying to no avail to uncover the scene in front of them. One brave reporter had attempted to approach a focused Mattsun and Iwaizumi, only to get driven away by Kyoutani’s menacing glare. Today no longer felt so… everyday. </p><p>The sun cast a thistle glow across the horizon as it passed ownership of the sky to the moon, whispering its goodbyes before becoming concealed from sight. Meanwhile, Oikawa watched in silence. On any other day, he wouldn’t have batted an eye at the sunset, but today, it felt like it was symbolizing the end of a day that was anything but ordinary. </p><p>“I never got your name.” A voice pulled Oikawa out of the mental dimension he had built himself. </p><p>Blinking his daydream away, he turned to look behind him. To his surprise, it was Iwaizumi who met his gaze. <em> Oh. He’s a little shorter than me. </em> Oikawa stuttered a bit mentally before getting a decent response out. “Oikawa Tooru,” he finally managed, his eyes wide. The prince asking for his name? What other surprises could he pull on him?</p><p>“Well then, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi started awkwardly. “I understand you want to go home now, but could I ask you to wait a few minutes? I just need a few words with Matsukawa.” </p><p>“Oh, um, sure,” Oikawa shrugged nonchalantly. </p><p>Iwaizumi gave him a nod as an answer before calling to Mattsun and walking a good distance away to get out of earshot. </p><p>Confused, Oikawa rubbed his hands together, now becoming aware of the pavement burns that had made themselves home on his palms. His eyebrows knit together in response to the pain that shot through his hands briefly, before glancing at Mattsun. He wondered what they needed to talk about.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Matsukawa.” Iwaizumi beckoned his attendant over with a tilt of his head, gesturing to a more secluded area away from the other people. He removed a hand from his pocket to brush it through his hair before tucking it back into his hoodie, leaving his eyes turned towards the ground as they came to a stop. “About your friend.”</p><p>Matsukawa’s jaw dropped slightly, clearly worried about the prince’s next words. “Tooru was just-”</p><p>“He’s not in trouble or anything. Rather, I have a few favours I need to ask you regarding him.” With a sigh, Iwaizumi shot a gentle look towards Oikawa. “I’m relieving you of the rest of your duties today. But I’ll need you to escort him back to wherever he lives.” </p><p>“That I can do,” Matsukawa chuckled lightly for a second, but quickly turned serious again. “May I ask why?” </p><p>Iwaizumi let out yet another sigh. Matsukawa was wondering if this was his only form of expression. “I need to delay your return to the castle. Should my father find out that someone who isn’t a castle guard saved me…” His voice trailed off shortly as he gathered his thoughts back. “You remember what happened last time.”</p><p>Matsukawa flashed back momentarily to the time the king had deemed someone necessary to Iwaizumi’s protection. Despite the prince himself denying the presence of a new attendant and guard, the king brought in the person who had stopped Iwaizumi’s last recent attempted assassination. That guard had later tried to kill Iwaizumi himself for ruining his life. </p><p>A contemplating look settled on Matsukawa’s face as Iwaizumi continued. “My father is less likely to ask you for a report on today's outing if you return later.”</p><p>“Understood, “ Matsukawa nodded. </p><p>“One more thing. If he does ask you for a report when you return, deny him until he stops asking.”</p><p>“And if he doesn’t stop asking?”</p><p>Iwaizumi gritted his teeth. “Prioritize yourself. If he threatens you, then tell him.”</p><p>The attendant stared at Iwaizumi with an open mouth. “Are you sure?” </p><p><em> No. </em>Iwaizumi was never sure of his decisions to begin with. It was ultimately his decision today to send away his guards that had almost gotten him killed. But to be fair; he didn’t quite mind the idea. “Ah-” A violent but brief shake of his head brought him back to reality. “Yes.” The prince spoke with a mixture of anger and regret in his voice. It was only one word, but it held more weight than an entire sentence would. </p><p>In response, Matsukawa bowed his head. It was uncommon for Iwaizumi to look so troubled, and even more so for him to have such a dilemma over an outsider. "I understand." Matsukawa lifted his eyes to lock onto Iwaizumi, giving him a smile when they made eye contact. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Above Oikawa, the gentle light from the now receded sun faded into a glassy black sky. As the stars made their appearance one by one, Oikawa glanced to the side to see Mattsun and Iwaizumi making their way back over. He couldn’t help but notice that Mattsun’s face was tinged with worry. Oikawa eyed his friend slowly enough for him to notice, turning his face away when he received a nod for a reply. </p><p>Half expecting Mattsun to be the first one to talk, Oikawa was caught off guard when it was Iwaizumi who opened his mouth to speak.</p><p>“My apologies for making you wait.” The prince carried himself with a dignity that wasn’t visible earlier. “Mattsun will be escorting you back.”</p><p>Oikawa made a little surprised noise, looking from one person to the other. “Thank you, Prince Iwaizumi, but I don’t think I need to be escor-”</p><p>“There will be no refusals.” Iwaizumi cut him off, his steely eyes sending Oikawa into a state that felt almost like shock. “Consider it as my way of saying thank you for… saving me.” </p><p>It took all of Oikawa’s efforts to not snicker at the awkwardness in Iwaizumi’s voice. He wasn’t used to being in this kind of situation, and it was clear. “Er, thank you, then.” Oikawa suddenly had no reason to laugh; he was just as awkward as the other. </p><p>Iwaizumi turned to face away from Oikawa and Mattsun, releasing what looked like a breath that he had been holding for too long. “Alert me when you need someone to come and get you, Matsukawa. I’ll have someone over quickly.”</p><p>Next to Oikawa, Mattsun hummed in response. “Understood, Iwaizumi.”</p><p>No more words were said by Iwaizumi. Instead, he shifted his eyes briefly over his shoulder and lifted a hand to wave before moving to meet with Kyoutani. As soon as he disappeared from sight, Oikawa let out a sigh of relief.</p><p>“Oh my god,” he muttered under his breath while rubbing his hands over his face. Oikawa was reminded of the burns on his hands again. He felt Mattsun turn him around and nudge him forward, falling in step behind him. “What just happened?”</p><p>“You, Oikawa Tooru, just saved the <em> prince </em>.” Mattsun said mindlessly.</p><p>Oikawa groaned, shoving his clenched fists in his jacket pockets. “Don’t remind me.” </p><p>“You asked what happened.”</p><p>“It was a rhetorical question.” </p><p> Silence draped over the two of them like a heavy blanket. The only sound they could handle right now was the whistling of the wind that blew through the streets. As they made their way back to the cafe, which was close to being closed, Oikawa took a quick detour through a small market square. </p><p>“Where are you going?” Mattsun called after Oikawa, standing at the corner of the road where he had turned. </p><p>Oikawa chuckled softly to himself while pointing at the grocery store. “I still need to bring Makki milk.” </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Their stomps were audible outside the cafe as they attempted to get the rubble off their shoes by slamming them onto the doormat. When Oikawa opened the door to the now empty coffee place, he made eye contact with a very disappointed Makki.</p><p>“I’m home?” Oikawa laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. </p><p>“And all over the news,” Kunimi chimed in from out of sight. </p><p>Of course he was all over the news. The number of reporters there to report just the accident was far too large, and with the prince there, it was even worse. Oikawa threw his jacket onto a chair behind the counter before flopping onto the couches in one corner of the cafe. A sound of despair escaped Oikawa as he draped an arm over his face dramatically, using the other arm to fumble for the tv remote that was somewhere on the table next to him. “I don’t want to hear it,” he grumbled.</p><p>“Well listen up anyway.” Makki poked Oikawa’s arm a few times, mumbling to him to sit up on the couch to make room. “Oikawa Tooru, the guy who hates the royal family, saves Prince Iwaizumi.”</p><p>“What a headline,” Mattsun said while moving to look down at Oikawa, who had managed to spread himself out over Makki and the rest of the couch. </p><p>Scrunching his nose, Oikawa sat up before Mattsun made another jeering face at him. “To be fair, I didn’t know that was the prince,” he declared loudly. Oikawa’s voice was filled with confidence, but his eyes communicated everything he couldn’t bring himself to say. Unbeknownst to him, his usual cheery eyes were now clouded over with fear. It was a sight his friends had never thought they would see.</p><p>Kunimi’s quiet voice tore an even bigger hole through Oikawa’s false confidence. “Would you have left him to die if you knew?”</p><p>Oikawa felt his entire body tense against his will. He could hear Makki’s dull voice almost scolding Kunimi for asking such a harsh question, but he knew Kunimi had a point. A low hum echoed from his chest as he closed his eyes in thought. “I… I still would have done something.”</p><p>Blinking his vision back to normal, Oikawa propped his arm onto his knee, letting his head rest in his palm. “It would probably be more dangerous for me in the end if I didn’t do anything, And besides…” Oikawa’s voice trailed away until it was nothing but a whisper. “The last thing my father told me was to do what I can. If that means saving the son of the man who drove my parents out of the country, then so be it.” </p><p>Light from the lamp posts outside seeped through the windows, illuminating the floor with a gentle white glow. Oikawa could feel the gazes of his friends on him, but he refused to raise his head to meet them. In this moment, he was vulnerable, and he wanted to forget that he was. Words were now scarce between the four of them; instead, they shared a comfortable, protective silence. </p><p>After what felt like a short eternity, Mattsun cleared his throat to gather the attention of the others. Under hooded eyes, Oikawa shifted to look to Mattsun, who was standing behind him with arms crossed. </p><p>“I should warn you, Tooru, before I leave.” Mattsun murmured, catching a glimpse of the clock. </p><p>Oikawa tilted his head innocently. The action could almost be considered cute. “About what?” He looked up to his friend, who seemed to be hesitating more than he usually does. </p><p>“About what the king might do regarding you.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi shuffled through the cold hallways, his footsteps thudding gentling against the stone floors. It was already late, and he assumed he wouldn’t have to deal with his father at this time of night, but there were voices at the end of the corridor that proved him wrong. The prince started to pick up the pace, his nerves egging him on to turn the corner as quickly as he could. </p><p>“Forgetting to take an outsider’s name for a report isn’t like you, Matsukawa.” </p><p>“Apologies, my Lord. It must have slipped my mind when I was caught up with everything else-” The trembling in Matsukawa’s voice was subtle, but still present.</p><p>“Do I need to remind you there are repercussions for lying to me about these things?” </p><p>Iwaizumi could hear his father growling the words, which only made him move even faster.  As he stumbled into the king’s line of sight and closer to his personal attendant, Iwaizumi grabbed Matsukawa’s shirt collar and pulled him backwards. “What do you need with Matsukawa?” Iwaizumi challenged his father with the same level of authority rising in his words. </p><p>“Your attendant seems to have forgotten the name of that man who helped you earlier.” The king stepped forward, pressuring them further into the challenge that Iwaizumi had started. “Or, did he not forget, and is just deciding to commit treason against me?” </p><p>The challenge now felt more like a trap they had set up for themselves. </p><p>“You’re mistaken, my Lord. I just had so much going on between the reporters and the scene that I didn’t have the chance to ask him for a name.” Matsukawa replied smoothly from behind Iwaizumi. With the prince there, he seemed to have gained some verbal footing.</p><p>Iwaizumi’s cold, grey green eyes met his father’s own. Tension swirled between father and son; a clash of determination and authority, and only one would remain standing. </p><p>The king grinned slyly, locking his gaze onto Matsukawa before speaking. “Until you tell me who he was, I’ll have you in the dungeons,” his voice thundered threateningly. </p><p>A breath hitched in Iwaizumi’s throat, and he quickly stretched an arm out to distance himself and the king. “You won’t be doing that to Matsukawa.”</p><p>“Feel free to join him then,” his father guffawed, eyes wild. Without warning, he shot his arm forward, grabbing Matsukawa by the shoulder and pushing Iwaizumi away at the same time. </p><p>Not having much of a choice, Iwaizumi did the only thing left for him to do. “Oikawa Tooru.” </p><p>Regret launched itself into his stomach, beginning to eat away everything that Iwaizumi had inside of him. The hallway was now hushed, and only the sound of the king releasing Matsukawa from his grip was made clear to Iwaizumi. As if on cue, a cold wind whipped through the corridor, slamming into the prince and making him shake. To be quite honest, he didn’t personally care if Oikawa was brought to the castle. It would make more work for him, but Iwaizumi mostly hated the fact that his father was the culprit behind ruined lives. He doubted that Oikawa would want to come here. Even more so, it looked like Matsukawa was doing his best to avoid having to bring Oikawa here. Iwaizumi didn’t want to be the reason for dragging people away from their regular lives. </p><p>He didn’t want to be responsible for any of this. </p><p>“Hajime,” Matsukawa whispered. </p><p>Iwaizumi lifted his face just enough to look at his attendant. Matsukawa only ever used his first name when he was trying to make sure the prince was alright. A weak nod gave Matsukawa all he needed to know. “Are we done here now?” Iwaizumi said through clenched teeth, not bothering to turn to see his father. </p><p>“Yes, and that wasn’t so hard, was it?” The king spoke in a cheery voice, obviously satisfied that he broke his own son. </p><p>Some kind of father he was. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Tooru, get the door, will you?” A sleepy voice called out to him.</p><p>Oikawa lifted his head from his pillow groggily, feeling around on his bed for his phone. Through squinted eyes, he made an effort to look at the time. <em> 1:42am. Who the hell? </em>A sigh escaped the sorcerer as he got up to go check the front door. When he opened it, someone who looked like they had also woken up about 5 minutes ago greeted him at the door. “Can I help you?” He asked, exhaustion filling his voice. </p><p>“The king requests you come to the castle in the afternoon later today.” </p><p>Moonlight reflected off Oikawa’s eyes, giving them a dull shine. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> This is when it begins. </em>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. conversations and confrontations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>oikawa meets the castle dorks</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>updates will be slow for the time being, and a line means either pov change or time gap!<br/>it's been a while since i wrote, so just think of this as me warming up to the writing habits again :')</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Iwaizumi stalked down the cold corridors, the chill of winter making a home in his bones. It was rather early in the morning, and the prince felt bad about going to Matsukawa’s room at such an indecent hour, but he wasn’t sure what else he could do. With regret filling each knock, Iwaizumi called out very softly through the thick wooden door. “Matsukawa, are you awake?” Silence greeted him first, before the door opened in front of him to reveal a very sleepy expression on his attendant’s face. </p><p>“Prince Iwaizumi?” </p><p>Iwaizumi grimaced at the fact that Matsukawa dragged a hand up to rub his eyes open. </p><p>“Normally I wouldn’t complain about you coming to my quarters, but it is... half past 6 in the morning.” Matsukawa grumbled, his eyes still half lidded and heavy. </p><p>Iwaizumi stifled a laugh; he didn’t normally let Matsukawa be so snappish, but he let him have it this morning. “I’m sorry to wake you so early,” he said with a chuckle. “But I need you to do something.”</p><p>“My duties are starting before 7am? How cruel.” The black haired male whined jokingly, starting to gather his bearings.</p><p>“Yes, but they’ll end as soon as you finish this task for me.” Iwaizumi exhaled softly, waiting to make sure Matsukawa was awake enough to hear. “I need you to go and bring your friend here for the audience with my father.” </p>
<hr/><p>Oikawa stared blankly at the ceiling, his consciousness fading between a very light sleep and a faint awareness where he was somewhat awake. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “The king requests you come to the castle in the afternoon later today.”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>With a sigh, he flipped onto his stomach, wanting to dissolve into the bed and never appear again. Maybe if he went to sleep now, he would wake up and discover that this was all a fever dream. After all, what were the odds that he ended up saving the one person in this country that he was supposed to avoid? Oikawa suddenly remembered that one video that Kunimi had shown him. <em> The odds are low, but never zero, </em>the video had said. </p><p>Nearly suffocating himself with his pillow, he kept his face buried, not bothering to move until he heard the faint sound of a click in the hallway. Confused, he lifted his head, looking in the direction of his bedroom door before sitting up to swing his feet over the side of the bed. Footsteps in the morning wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, but even Hanamaki didn’t usually wake up until around 8:30. The clock on Oikawa’s bedside table read 7:26am. Outside, the sky was still an obsidian blanket, not yet wanting to make way for the sun. Winter did not like the sun; she brought warmth where winter wanted cold.  </p><p>The floorboards creaked underneath the sorcerer, as if it was a warning to the person in the hallway. Although he wasn’t necessarily sleepy, Oikawa was still tired, and it was visible from the way his eyes were slitted. Without much thought, he peered into the hallway, speaking before he processed what was in front of him. “Makki, it’s 7:30, what are you doing awake?”</p><p>It took him a moment, but when his vision finally came to, Oikawa realized that it was Matsukawa standing in front of him. His face twisted into a confused expression, and there was some stuttering before Oikawa managed to get a whole sentence out. “Wh- wait- how did you get in here? Do you still have a copy of the key? Oh! You came to surprise Makki, didn’t you?” He grinned mischievously. </p><p>“I swear to god.” Matsukawa gave him a look that screamed murder, and his clenched fists that hung by his side only brought the point home. “You left the front door open, idiot. And why do you think I’m here? I’m the one picking you up.” </p><p>Oikawa furrowed his eyebrows, now remembering that this was indeed, <em> not, </em>a fever dream. His eyes fell to the floor, lacking in all kinds of emotions as he opened his mouth to speak. “So this is it.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“This is it.” Oikawa brushed past the taller male and headed straight for the kitchen, leaving Matsukawa to figure out what he meant. Absent minded, his hands moved by themselves according to muscle memory. The only thing he was thinking of right now was a hot coffee. Behind Oikawa, Matsukawa leaned against the counter, arms folded.  </p><p>“I thought you didn’t drink coffee.” Matsukawa words echoed in Oikawa’s ears. </p><p>Shooting the other a sideways glance, Oikawa scoffed as he brought the freshly poured mug of coffee to his lips. “I do now.” But as quickly as he had taken a drink, he spat it back into the mug, a sound of disgust rumbling in his throat. “Never mind.”</p><p>The sorcerer felt his ears turn red with embarrassment as Matsukawa broke into a soft laughter. “Nice try, Tooru.” </p><p>Oikawa brought a hand up to run it through his hair, letting his bangs fall to cover his eyes just a little bit. Outside, the darkness started to fade away ever so slightly, making way for the sun to show her face again. Silence loomed over the two for a comfortable period of time, only being scared away by Hanamaki’s entrance into the kitchen. </p><p>“I’m gonna kill you two for waking me up so early,” he complained in a low voice, making his way over to sleepily bump his head into Matsukawa’s shoulder.</p><p>It took every effort from Oikawa to stifle a laugh. “Wow, right in front of me? You have no shame,” he purred, narrowly missing Hanamaki’s attempted swat at his head. “It’s like you never broke up.” </p><p>Oikawa shifted his gaze to look at Matsukawa, who was pushing Hanamaki away gently. “Who said we did?” Matsukawa grinned back.</p><p>“What-?” Oikawa and Hanamaki’s voices echoed each other briefly.<br/>
“It was a joke.”</p><p>Oikawa turned to Hanamaki, who let out an angry scoff, but the expression on the light haired male was closer to amused rather than mad. “Got my hopes up for a second there, Mattsun.” Hanamaki snorted. </p><p>Laughter rang out through the room between the three at the remark, their worries dissipating for just a fraction of a second. That fraction was enough for Oikawa to forget the world and its problems, before everything came crashing back again. His fingers fidgeted between each other, leaving scratches on the back of his hand without him noticing. There was a muffled chatter that Oikawa could hear, but couldn’t quite make out. It didn’t really to him right now anyway; the sun wanted to say hello. </p><p>“Tooru, that... ...is bleeding. Go and… … oi, Tooru! Anyone home?”</p><p>Oikawa blinked himself out of his daze, his face void of emotion. “What?” </p><p>“Seriously,” Hanamaki sighed at him, grabbing a cloth from the counter and throwing it at him. “Your <em> hand. </em>” </p><p>Confused at first, Oikawa stared at his friends. “Eh?” It took him a second to look down at his hand, where a shallow scratch had embedded itself and started to trickle blood. “Ack-” He yelped a little bit before covering it with the cloth that he had somehow managed to catch despite his lack of awareness. An awkward chuckle escaped him, but Oikawa dropped his eyes to the ground out of embarrassment. He was such a lost cause. </p><p>Oikawa wasn’t someone who didn’t know what he was doing; he always had at least the base of a plan. But this time, he was completely lost, and Hanamaki and Matsukawa knew it. He knew his friends were averting their gazes in order to spare him the embarrassment of seeing a side of Oikawa they never get to witness. It only made Oikawa feel worse.</p><p>Silence settled between the three briefly, an awkward tension causing them to shuffle away from each other. They sat quietly, not daring to break the atmosphere until another quiet voice piped into the lingering conversation. </p><p>“You’re Oikawa, right?” </p><p>Oikawa shifted to look at Kunimi, whose hair was unkempt and his clothes were still ragged from waking up a few minutes ago. “You sound like you’ve never met me before,” he said with a tilt of his head.</p><p>“Well, you are… Oikawa Tooru, right?” Kunimi rubbed the back of his neck, a confused look mirroring the one on the sorcerer’s face. </p><p>“I am…?” </p><p>“Well then you can do it.” The words slapped Oikawa across the face. Kunimi looked like he was about to do the same. “You’re always saying things like  ‘of course I can do it,’ and ‘who do you think I am?’ You’re Oikawa, aren’t you? So why wouldn’t you be able to go meet the king? You have an opportunity to do something, and you’re afraid? Are you <em> really </em>Oikawa if you think you can’t do it?”</p><p>Oikawa gaped at the younger, shock scribbled all over his expression as he tried to process what he just heard. </p><p>“Kunimi,” Hanamaki scolded him quietly, but the youngest paid no attention, and instead focused all his intensity on Oikawa. </p><p>“Am I mistaken to believe that you’re Oikawa? The only sorcerer I’ve ever met? The one who was given a chance to change everything; and now that it’s been presented to you, the one who wants to run away?” </p><p>Oikawa watched Kunimi take a step forward, starting to realize the challenge that was in front of him. Abruptly, he stood up, eyes locking with Kunimi’s. “I don’t run away,” he growled. </p><p>A smirk appeared on the other male’s face, causing Oikawa to bristle slightly in response. “Then act like it.” Kunimi took another step forward, forcing the light haired male to tense up. “Who are you then?”</p><p>With a raised eyebrow, Oikawa grinned back. “Oikawa Tooru.” </p>
<hr/><p>“I never would have thought Kunimi could get that kind of reaction from you,” Matsukawa spoke up, drowning out the idle sound of the tires against the mountain road. </p><p>A quiet chuckle escaped from Oikawa as he pressed his chin into his palm. “It’s not something I expected either. We’ve known him for 4 years, but I’ve never seen him that assertive,” he winced, remembering the look in Kunimi’s eyes. </p><p>It was Matsukawa’s turn to laugh. “To be fair, in those 4 years, I don’t think he’s ever seen you like that either.” </p><p>“Stop laughing with your eyes closed. Keep them on the road.” </p><p>“Oh, stop pouting.” </p><p>It had been a few hours since Kunimi had called Oikawa out for being less “Oikawa” than usual, and now the sorcerer and the prince’s personal attendant were heading out to the castle. What an odd situation. </p><p>The sun reflected briefly off the mirror while Oikawa was looking at it, causing him to curse under his breath. “Hey, Mattsun.”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“What do you think will happen?”</p><p>Matsukawa kept his eyes on the road this time around. “I don’t think you want that answer.” </p><p>Oikawa stared at his friend, who had now fallen silent. “I do.” He continued to watch the other, but the lack of a response only made him shiver. He already knew the answer anyway, and Matsukawa could tell that he knew, but Oikawa wanted to hear it anyway. He wanted to know how the rest of his life would change after today. His fingers tapped on his jawline anxiously, watching as the trees outside the window blended into a sea of dark green as they drove by. “I’m gonna end up here, aren’t I…?” </p><p>A scowl formed on Matsukawa face as he maneuvered around the wide turn on the road. “We don’t know that for sure.”</p><p>“But we do, don’t we?” Oikawa stared at him blankly, before turning his head forward to look the same direction Matsukawa was looking. “You even already warned me about it,” he said lightly. The tone in his voice was gentle, but the look in the eyes betrayed the emotions Oikawa attempted to convey. The brunet flinched when he heard the other click his tongue out of a lack of response. Matsukawa was quiet, but the silence he left behind was more menacing than the aura Oikawa had felt just yesterday. The only thing left for him to do was to brace himself for the impending meeting. </p>
<hr/><p>Oikawa followed Matsukawa through the front gates, his eyes catching onto the banisters that were laced with white and gold markings. Above him was a heavily decorated ceiling, with intricate, snake-like details crawling across the great expanse of a room. He couldn’t help but let out a low whistle at the sight.</p><p>“Don’t let this room fool you,” Matsukawa murmured as he buttoned up his sleeves. “The rest of the castle is darker than you’d expect it to be.” </p><p>The room seemed to close in just a little bit after what Matsukawa had said. It was only now that Oikawa realized how much his friend didn’t exactly always want to be here either. He shook the thought away, quickly ruffling his hair to give it a tousled look, forcing himself to calm down. It wasn’t ever much of a problem, but sometimes, his nerves got the best of him and Oikawa would end up pulsing magic. He had learned to control it around the age of 10, but with his heart ready to hammer out of his chest, Oikawa wasn’t sure how much faith he could put in his 10 year-old self to keep his sorcery from exploding into the open. </p><p>For a second, he could feel his hands warm up in his pockets, and Oikawa struggled with the effort to cool down. He was a naturally calm person to begin with, but he knew that as soon as he started to lose his composure, all hell would break loose. There was a time when he was a toddler, not much older than 5 years old, when an irrational amount of fear made Oikawa lose all control over himself. He couldn’t remember the incident, and only got to relive it through his mother’s retelling of him nearly destroying an entire house, but Oikawa could remember seeing the fear in her eyes. Despite his mother being a sorceress herself, she was still afraid of what he could do. Oikawa would never forget how she tried to hide her arms from her son that day. </p><p>“Come this way, the throne room is down the hallway.” Matsukawa tilted his head towards a heavy set of doors, waiting for the other to follow suit. “And you should call me Matsukawa for the time being.” The words came out a little colder than intended, causing Matsukawa to look at Oikawa with surprise tainting his eyes. </p><p>Oikawa didn’t come right away, instead staring at the doors they had entered the main room from. His usual confident stature was replaced with one that his friend could hardly recognize; his back was hunched over just the slightest bit, and his hands were clearly balled into fists in his pockets. <em> So this is me when I’m scared. </em>Footsteps echoed in the room as Matsukawa made his way over to Oikawa to give him a clap on the back. There’s a strained smile on Oikawa’s face. </p><p>
  <em> I don’t like me when I’m scared. </em>
</p><p>A heavy breath almost deflates Oikawa, only causing more accidental concern for Matsukawa. “Mattsu- er- Matsukawa,” he exhaled softly, turning to the doors Matsukawa had gestured to earlier. “The prince is a decent person, right?” Oikawa continued after a grunt of acknowledgement.</p><p>“I’d call him decent.” </p><p>“Good enough for me.” There was a grin on his face that could only be called ‘overly confident.’ Oikawa expected nothing less from himself as Matsukawa pulled the doors in front of them open. Despite the unfazed look that Oikawa wore, his nerves twisted inside him, making him feel as though all his organs had shoved over a few centimetres to the side. As he followed Matsukawa through the corridors, he counted the passing seconds in his head in an attempt to quell his nervous heart. It had worked for a good bit, but his efforts turned to ash when Matsukawa came to a stop in front of a pair of large doors. Without a warning, Matsukawa reached up to pull a rope on the side of the doors, enticing a noise of surprise from Oikawa at the same time. The sorcerer shot a glare at the raven haired male, but quickly withdrew when he saw the expression on Matsukawa face. </p><p>
  <em> “I didn’t ask if you were ready because I know you won’t ever be.” </em>
</p><p>Oikawa could practically hear the words, even if they were unspoken. He opened his mouth to comment, but was stopped short by the doors opening and a voice that was more commanding than he’d ever heard. </p><p>“Oikawa Tooru,” the man- no, the king- said, loud enough for his voice to ricochet off the marble walls. “I’m glad you could make it today.”</p><p>With his head bowed and eyes on the floor out of respect, Oikawa stepped into the room after Matsukawa. “It’s an honour to be here, my Lord,” Oikawa replied smoothly, just barely audible over the sound of the doors coming to a close behind him.</p>
<hr/><p>Iwaizumi peered from his spot around the corner, watching as Matsukawa and his supposed new personal <em> guard </em> headed into the throne room. </p><p><em> Guard. What a disaster this is going to be, </em>Iwaizumi narrated to himself internally before turning away and stalking down the hallways. Other than his footsteps thudding against the ground, it was relatively quiet around the castle. If anything, the news that the King himself had summoned someone new to the castle meant that it was livelier than most other days. To an outside, it didn’t look very exciting, but to someone like Iwaizumi, seeing more than 2 people in the same hallway at once was just short of a miracle. </p><p>Instinctively, the prince followed a path to the inner workings of the castle, walking past the middle courtyards and heading into the back gardens. The gardens were a safe haven for him, but they weren’t his goal for today. As he came up to another section of the castle, which was almost a good 15 minutes from his quarters, Iwaizumi debated knocking on the door in front of him, but quickly decided against it. He was always welcome in this part of the castle without warning; at least, he hoped those words from the past times he’d been here still held true. </p><p>The door creaked open, giving Iwaizumi an unplanned welcome into the room as he poked his head inside. There were books and papers strewn all over the place, practically covering the table in the middle to the point where you almost couldn’t tell there was a table there. The room seemed to be deserted for the day, and Iwaizumi was ready to believe that it was as he pulled a chair from the table for himself. It was only after he had sat down that another person made his presence known.</p><p>“If you’re going to hide from your regular duties again, you should really consider finding another spot that isn’t my wing,” a disembodied voice called from behind a few shelves. </p><p>Iwaizumi flinched in his seat, his eyes rolling hard enough that the other person could swear it was audible. “You should come with a warning sign, Shigeru,” the prince sighed, waiting for Yahaba to come around the corner. “And I’m not <em> hiding. </em>Do I really need an excuse to visit your area?”</p><p>Laughing softly, Yahaba continued his work, nose buried in a book and hands full of notes and herbs. “Well for one, you only come when you’re either sick and need medicine, or trying to get away from Matsukawa. So which is it today?”</p><p>“Neither, mind you,” Iwaizumi scowled at his friend. “I just needed somewhere to be while Matsukawa and the new guy talk to my father.” </p><p>Yahaba hummed against his hand, finally turning to look towards Iwaizumi. “Is this the guy you were telling me about last night? Okuwa? Was that his name?”</p><p>“Oikawa.”</p><p>“Whoa, you’ve only known him for a day and you’re already defensive about his name. He must be hot.” </p><p>The dark haired male glowered at the physician, clearly not in the mood to joke about a “close to complete stranger’s” looks. “I only remember because he’s friends with Matsukawa.” </p><p>“Ehh? Matsukawa’s still got some connections from before he came here, huh..” Yahaba’s voice trailed away in thought. </p><p>Iwaizumi shuffled some things on the table away from him, making room to set his elbow on top and shifting his position to lean his head on his palm. “What am I supposed to do with him, Shigeru? He looked like he wanted nothing to do with me yesterday,” he murmured, eyes closing and index finger tapping gently on his chin.</p><p>There was a screech that came from another chair scraping across the floor, interrupting Iwaizumi’s thoughts until Yahaba made his way back into the conversation. “I didn’t know you read into people like that, Hajime.” The prince opened his mouth to interject, but Yahaba didn’t give him the chance. “You gave the last person who got into this situation a harsh speech and the cold shoulder. What makes Okuwa so different?”</p><p>“It’s Oikawa,” Iwaizumi corrected. “And like I said, he’s Matsukawa’s friend. Matsukawa didn’t exactly look that glad when he realized it was Oikawa who shoved me out of the way of a car yesterday.” </p><p>Yahaba snapped his fingers into guns and pointed at Iwaizumi. “So he’s Matsukawa’s friend, <em> AND </em>he’s hot!” </p><p>Iwaizumi whipped his head around to glare at Yahaba, who continued to wear a stupid grin despite the raging tone of his voice. “He’s not hot!” He rubbed circles into his temples, blocking out the sound of his friend laughing across the table. <em> He is… pretty, though. </em>Not wanting to continue on that train of thought, Iwaizumi reached over the table to give Yahaba a good “thwack” on the head with a roll of papers. “Sometimes, I think about everyone who ended up in this situation, and…” A quiet sigh slipped through his lips. “And I remember that they were practically ripped from their everyday lives. I don’t want to do that to him too.” </p><p>The court herbalist rubbed the spot on his head where he had been smacked, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. A few seconds of silence passed between them before Yahaba dropped his hand to his lap and he started speaking again. “You don’t even actually know what Oikawa thinks about being here. Consider his thoughts too. Maybe he won’t mind being here.”</p><p>A sigh weighted with doubt sounded from Iwaizumi. “Even if he doesn’t mind it, I don’t think he <em> wants </em>to be here.” </p><p>“Hajime, I don’t think anyone the King dragged into the castle wants to be here,” Yahaba chuckled from behind a hand.</p><p>“Does that include you?”</p><p>“Of course it does.” Iwaizumi glanced at Yahaba briefly, but his expression was mostly hidden by the hands he held in front of his face. Yahaba was younger than him, and was practically raised in the castle. His family had been physicians and herbalists for the royal family for what was probably generations. Yahaba just so happened to be part of that line of blood. “But, like Oikawa, I don’t have the choice to leave,” he continued softly, eyes solemn. “So, you owe it to him.”</p><p>Confusion clouded Iwaizumi’s gaze as he cocked his head to the side. “I owe it to him? Why would I owe him anything?”</p><p>Although his eyes were a soft brown, Yahaba held a frightening aura in them as he latched onto Iwaizumi’s own eyes. “Make him feel like he doesn’t have to hate it here. You owe him that much for taking him away from what he’s used to.” </p><p>Iwaizumi nodded, unable to break the eye contact that Yahaba had established. “Are you sure you’re younger than me Shigeru?” He joked light heartedly, completely unready for the response that came from the physician. </p><p>“It’s more surprising that you’re older than me and you still don’t know how people function. After all, we’re both in our twenties,” Yahaba grinned, not even bothering to stop the laugh that bubbled up in his chest after seeing the prince’s reaction. </p><p>After some amount of time, Iwaizumi could only laugh along with Yahaba, finally giving way and letting the tension in his shoulders release. He made a mental note to let Yahaba go out into the city more often; he deserved more days off than he usually took. </p><p>Fanning himself, Yahaba took a deep breath before swiftly changing the topic. “Okay, but tell me more about Oikawa. If you know anything at all.”</p><p>Iwaizumi shrugged, recalling the hazy image of his personal assistant’s friend. “All I really know is that his name is Oikawa Tooru. Seemed pretty sarcastic from the way he would talk to Matsukawa. And no, he’s not hot.” He slipped in the last sentence just as Yahaba opened his mouth to ask.</p><p>“Oikawa is his family name?” Iwaizumi caught the slight hesitation in Yahaba’s voice, but he quickly brushed it away in the hopes that he was imagining it. “Wait, are you calling him ugly?”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” Iwaizumi frowned. “I’m not just gonna first name him. And no, I’m just saying he’s not <em> hot. </em>”</p><p>“Uh-huh… Oikawa…” </p><p>Iwaizumi sat up, unease setting his spine straight as he listened to Yahaba murmur the name over and over again. “Shigeru, is there a reason-” </p><p>The phone in Yahaba’s pocket started to ring obnoxiously, cutting Iwaizumi off mid-question. So much for asking Yahaba what his deal was with the family name ‘Oikawa’. He tucked away that thought for the time being, falling silent and gesturing to Yahaba to answer the phone. As the light brown haired male pulled it out of his pocket, the name Matsukawa flashed along the screen. </p><p>“Oh, this should be interesting,” Yahaba chuckled before answering the call and putting it on speaker. “What’s going on, Matsukawa?”</p><p>
  <em> “Have you seen Iwaizumi? He was supposed to come with me and walk Oikawa around the place, but he hasn’t been answering any of my calls.” </em>
</p><p>Guilt gripped Iwaizumi from behind like a vice as he fumbled his phone out of his own pocket. 17 missed calls and 39 messages greeted him on the screen. The colour drained from his face while Yahaba’s turned red with laughter. </p><p>“Oh boy, have I seen the prince.”</p><p>
  <em> “... He’s with you, isn’t he?”  </em>
</p><p>“Say hi, Hajime,” Yahaba purred. Remorse was clearly something he wasn’t capable of feeling.</p><p>Iwaizumi groaned, burying his face in his palms briefly before taking the phone and bringing it closer to him. “Where are you, I’ll come right now,” he muttered before tossing the phone at Yahaba’s head. </p><p>
  <em> “Too late. Open the door.”  </em>
</p><p>Iwaizumi jolted out of his seat, rushing to open the door. When he did, he came face to face with an angry assistant and someone who looked like a lost animal. And yet, Iwaizumi couldn’t help but feel short next to the two. “My phone was on silent,” he admitted, a hand rubbing awkwardly on the back of his neck. Behind Iwaizumi, Yahaba practically howled with laughter. He wanted nothing more than to rip the door off its hinges and throw it at the physician. “I didn’t think you’d be that quick in there,” he continued, hoping to drown out the ruckus behind him.</p><p>Matsukawa glared icily at the prince, but his mouth betrayed the facade by a shaky smile making an appearance. Breaking into a chuckle himself, Matsukawa waved away the issue. “Honestly, neither did I. But we’re done, and you didn’t answer any of my calls,” Matsukawa almost growled the words, causing Iwaizumi to break into an awkward laughter.</p><p>“Anyway,” Iwauzumi shifted his weight between his feet, casting a glance over at Oikawa. “I hope the discussion with my father wasn’t overwhelming.” </p><p>Oikawa shook his head, the corner of his eyes turned upwards in a smile. “Not at all. It was a rather refreshing conversation, if you ask me.” </p><p>Shocked by the nonchalant reaction, Iwaizumi only managed to open his mouth, but no words followed. Instead, a breath hitched in his throat, accompanied with the attempt to stifle a cough. The prince watched as Oikawa turned to look at him, desperately waving his hand to tell the other that he was fine. </p><p>“Prince Iwaizumi? Do you need water?” Oikawa asked, eyes glimmering with concern. Iwaizumi almost found it endearing, considering how his few friends here at the castle treated him.</p><p>“<em> Prince </em>Iwaizumi. Been a while since I’ve heard anyone use that on you, Hajime,” Yahaba snorted, jabbing a water bottle into Iwaizumi’s lower back. </p><p>Iwaizumi snatched the bottle from Yahaba, sending him a cold glare as he downed half of it. “Just calling me Iwaizumi will be fine, Oikawa. Ah, and this is Yahaba Shigeru. He’s the court physician and herbalist. If you ever get sick, come to him.”</p><p>“It’s also common knowledge that certain people come here to hide from their problems!” Yahaba chimed in cheerily. </p><p>It took every ounce of power Iwaizumi had to not throw said herbalist across the room. “I am going to put you in the dungeons,” he threatened half heartedly. To his surprise, Oikawa looked afraid of the threat; Iwaizumi could tell his hands were fidgeting behind his back. “Don’t worry. We’re good friends,” he said with a smile, giving Yahaba a good clap on the shoulder. </p><p>“Well, while we’re here,” Matsukawa’s voice broke through the atmosphere, reminding them why they were there in the first place. “Shall we show Tooru around the gardens? Yahaba can even show you where he grows his herbs.”</p><p>Oikawa frowned at Matsukawa, placing a hand on his hip as though he wanted to increase the sass emanating from him, “Whoa, so you can still call me Tooru, but I can’t call you Mattsun? Where’s the fairness in that?”</p><p>Iwaizumi couldn’t help but crack a smile at Matsukawa’s expression. So Oikawa <em> was </em> a sarcastic character. </p><p>“Ugh- Oikawa. Force of habit,” the attendant grunted. </p><p>Now almost laughing at the amount of mental pain scrawled across Matsukawa’s face, Iwaizumi clicked his tongue. “Not like it matters, Matsukawa. Just call him what you usually do. As long as you don’t do it in front of my father, there’s nothing wrong with it.” </p><p>“Will it be bad if he calls me Tooru in front of the king?” Oikawa asked, the curiosity in his voice overflowing.</p><p>Iwaizumi matched his dark green hues to look at Oikawa’s lighter brown ones. There was an innocence on his face that no one else had when talking about his father. Having someone new in the castle felt… refreshing. “He just prefers that everyone be formal. That’s all.” He felt a pang of guilt in his chest when Oikawa broke his gaze away and hummed absent mindedly. Iwaizumi was telling the truth about his father not liking the informalities, but Oikawa seemed to be upset over something deeper than names. But that would be a conversation for when they got to know each other. If they did at all. </p><p>Feeling the awkward tension in the air, Iwaizumi clapped his hands together, catching everyone’s attention. “So, I thought we were going to the gardens,” he said hurriedly, rushing a smile. </p><p>Next to Iwaizumi, Matsukawa cleared his throat, nodding before the conversation could get any more awkward. “Right, let’s go. Do you want to lead the way Yahaba?” </p><p>Yahaba seemed to have more energy than necessary, and was quick to jump away from the table and grasp Oikawa firmly on the shoulder. “Why don’t you come with me and tell me about yourself?”</p><p>“Eh-?” Oikawa and Iwaizumi both had a bit of the startle at the statement, clearly under the impression that they would be the ones walking at the head. But unbeknownst to the two, Yahaba had sent a signal to Matsukawa that he wanted to talk to Oikawa. Matsukawa didn’t quite understand why, but Yahaba always had good intentions; if he needed to drag Oikawa away for a conversation, there was a good reason for it. </p><p>“Ah, that reminds me then. Iwaizumi, could we linger here for a second and look over some of the paperwork from the Karasuno company?” Matsukawa inserted himself into the conversation before either the prince or Oikawa could. </p><p>Iwaizumi gaped for a second, not entirely sure when the control of the room was suddenly taken away from him. Nonetheless, he agreed, waving Yahaba and Oikawa out the door before turning back to his assistant. “Is there a reason that Shigeru wants to talk with him?”</p><p>“If there is, I have no clue what it is.”</p>
<hr/><p>Practically being dragged, Oikawa stumbled outside, about to comment on what just happened, but stopped when the sight of flowers caught his attention. “Oh,” he exhaled softly. “What are these?” Oikawa asked, excitement and curiosity lacing his words as he crouched down to stroke the white petals. </p><p>“Gardenias,” Yahaba replied, proud of his handiwork in the field of flowers. “They’re good for both physical injuries and mentally related issues.”</p><p>Oikawa pulled his hand away from the flower and brought his face closer instead. “Mentally related issues?” </p><p>“Things like depression, anxiety and stress.” The herbalist counted them off on his fingers, gaze drifting with the clouds above the pair. “Even works with Hajime’s occasional insomnia, but don’t let him know that I told you about that on the first day.” </p><p>A gentle breeze ruffled Oikawa’s longer brown locks, giving him a very playful image. “You call him Hajime?” He raised the question casually, not wanting to seem too forward. </p><p>In return, Yahaba nodded, coming to squat down next to Oikawa to gently pat the soil around the gardenias. “He’s the closest thing I have to a brother, so I treat him like one. I didn’t really have many other options for family here.” </p><p>Oikawa watched as the younger tended to the plants meticulously. Every movement of his was precise, and although quick, still very careful placed. It was as though the flowers danced with his touch, playing music with the wind. “Not a lot of choice for family, huh?” He continued to press.</p><p>“No, but you’re familiar with that, aren’t you?”</p><p>Taken aback, Oikawa stumbled backwards before shakily standing to his feet. Whoever this Yahaba was seemed to know a little more than he needed to, and it made Oikawa uneasy. “What do you mean by that?” He asked, almost snapping at the physician. </p><p>With a grunt, Yahaba stood to his feet, making Oikawa take another step back for caution. “Oikawa Tooru; the unknown son of Oikawa Katashi and Minako. Am I mistaken?”</p><p>Oikawa did all but breathe. The only people who knew his parents’ names were Matsukawa and Hanamaki, and Oikawa doubted that Matsukawa had told Yahaba about them. For one, he had no reason to tell Yahaba about his family. Second, Oikawa didn’t even think that Matsukawa would remember their names. There were too many things not lining up here, and it made the sorcerer bristle at the neck. </p><p>“So I was right,” Yahaba murmured, looking Oikawa in the eye. </p><p>“How do you know them?” Oikawa deadpanned the question, but he felt like there were sparks flying between his fingers. His face said one thing, but his fidgeting hands filled in the spaces his expression left empty. “And what do you want to do with me?” If Oikawa was gutsy enough, he would have lunged forward and Yahaba against something already. But something held him back, and Oikawa wanted to blame it on his ‘gentle nature’, despite him knowing that his ‘gentle nature’ barely existed. </p><p>However, the desire to sock Yahaba in the throat slowly dissipated after Oikawa noticed how his eyes shimmered. They were decorated with tears, and not ones that preached joy. “There are things I can’t tell you yet. I just needed to make sure it was you,” Yahaba whispered, a hint of sorrow hiding in his voice. </p><p>Oikawa couldn’t bring himself to argue with him. The variables were messy, and if he wanted to know what Yahaba did, he had to wait. Oikawa already felt the burning desire in him to figure out what it was, but he spent all his energy in this moment convincing himself he couldn’t press any harder. It would only make his wait even longer. “Fair enough,” he resigned with a sigh, brushing a hand through his hair to give it a tousled look; as if it didn’t already look tousled. “By the way, you talk as though you’re older than me. What’s up with that?”</p><p>His voice was light, as though trying to push away the heaviness of just one minute ago. </p><p>With a cackle of his own, Yahaba cracked a grin at Oikawa. “To be fair...” he started boldly, “...you also just act younger than me, and I can’t help you there.” </p><p>Jaw hanging open, the only sound that escaped Oikawa was a choke before laughing heartily. “I suppose you’re right,” he admitted shamefully. “But let’s not let Matsukawa and Iwaizumi hear about this part,” Oikawa continued snickering, flashing a glance at the door that led back to Yahaba’s quarters. </p><p>“Should we go get them?”</p><p>“Yeah, let’s drag them outside. Besides, I have yet to see Mattsun in action with his ‘assistant duties,’” the sorcerer hummed.</p>
<hr/><p>“Wait, so then what is Sawamura so stressed about if it’s not his crew?”</p><p>Matsukawa pressed the heel of his palms into his eyes, on the verge of giving up. “He’s stressed because he doesn’t know if he has enough hands to get this project done before June.”</p><p>“Well why didn’t you say that earlier?” Iwaizumi stared at his assistant, oblivious to the door squeaking open behind him.</p><p>Meanwhile, Matsukawa rolled his eyes, his face screaming with exasperation. “I <em> did. </em>” </p><p>Iwaizumi just sighed in response, slumping further into the chair. “We’ll just send them extra hands closer to March if it looks like they won’t be able to do it. But for now, the contracts are signed and they have free reign on the project.” The prince shut his eyes, wanting to forget the world for a moment, but was soon interrupted by a gentle “Yaho!”</p><p>Iwaizumi stifled a groan with much effort, eyes fluttering open to see Oikawa and Yahaba peeking through the cracked doorway. “Ah, you’re back. Did you enjoy the gardens?”</p><p>“I only took Oikawa to my own personal greenhouse. I figured you would want to be there to show him the actual courtyards,” Yahaba said from the doorway.</p><p>A low hum rumbled in Iwaizumi’s chest as he straightened up in his chair, shifting his position to see the others clearly. “Sure. I think we’re done with these anyway,” he trailed off while gathering the papers in his hands. The sounds of rusting now overtook the room, all four of them patiently waiting for the prince and his assistant to finish cleaning what they needed to. </p><p>“I can’t tell if these are our papers or from Yahaba’s work,” Matsukawa said under his breath, just loud enough for Yahaba to hear, but quiet enough that he only shot a glare in return. </p><p>Iwaizumi moved a hand over his mouth to cover a grin, hiding his amusement as best he could, but ultimately failed when he saw Oikawa gritting his teeth to stop himself from smiling. For a first encounter (technically second for Iwaizumi), it wasn’t as awkward as he thought it might be. There was a friendly atmosphere circling the four, and it was only so often that Iwaizumi could find comfort around people. But the prince wanted to refuse Oikawa’s presence; it would only cause more trouble for the both of them, and he didn’t want that. Exhaling softly, Iwaizumi turned away from the group. It didn’t matter how much comfort he found here. Oikawa was just an innocent passerby, and Iwaizumi had to find a way to send him home. Without saying much, Iwaizumi pushed himself away from the table, his gaze searching for his supposed new attendant. As his evergreen eyes found Oikawa’s, he gestured to the doorway, stalking out of the room silently to leave Matsukawa and Yahaba to their duties, while tapping Oikawa on the wrist to tell him “come.” </p><p>The breeze caressed their faces as they stepped outside, tendrils of a gentle wind running through their hair and ruffling their clothing. Iwaizumi shuddered against the cold; occasionally, the fact that it was still January escaped his mind. With hands in his pockets, he continued walking forward, only slowing down when he realized Oikawa was lagging behind. “What’s the hold up?”</p><p>“Aren’t Mattsun and Yahaba coming with us?” The light haired male pointed back to the physician’s quarters, waiting for the wooden door to creak open again. </p><p>Iwaizumi shook his head no, moving a hand out of his pocket to wave Oikawa to follow. “They’ll follow later, but come with me for the time being.” He waved again before shoving his hand back in his pockets, wondering how Oikawa wasn’t doing the same. It was a clear sky, sunny even. But the crisp air only intensified the cool heat that the sun gave off. Iwaizumi took notice of how Oikawa had jogged up beside him, and had now fallen into step with the prince despite the lack of conversation. He was an odd one. </p><p>After a good few minutes of silence, Iwaizumi came to a stop in front of a sea of flowers, which was filled with colours that felt like they could only be seen in a fever dream. “I apologize, Oikawa.”</p><p>“Eh-? For what?” Oikawa didn’t bother looking at Iwaizumi, instead crouching down to gently run his fingers along the lily petals in front of him. </p><p>Another minute of silence passed between them. “For dragging you here. If I had actually paid attention yesterday-” </p><p>Oikawa stood abruptly, making Iwaizumi’s voice cease to exist. With doe eyes, Oikawa held his gaze on the prince, causing him to falter. “You would have had to have been paying attention to that car. It was just pure luck that I was.” </p><p>Iwaizumi couldn’t help but notice the hesitance in that last sentence. “It was still my mistake. You shouldn’t be here,” he managed to force the words out of his lungs, but he felt all the colour drain from his face when he saw the look on Oikawa’s. </p><p>The taller male just looked at him now. Iwaizumi could feel the guilt gathering at the pit of his stomach as Oikawa opened his mouth to speak. “You must be kidding, Prince Iwaizumi. I don’t really care about being here.” Oikawa made the calmest expression Iwaizumi had ever seen before suddenly jabbing playfully at him in the shoulder. </p><p>Iwaizumi’s jaw froze in its half-open position, scanning Oikawa up and down in shock. “Again, just Iwaizumi is fine. And-”</p><p>Oikawa shushed the other, the smile on his face a strange mixture of consolation and a jestering attitude. Meanwhile, Iwaizumi couldn’t shake the irked feeling that gathered in the form of twitching fingers. He had the higher authority between the two, but it was Oikawa who ruled the conversation. It both annoyed Iwaizumi and intrigued him.</p><p>“Well, Iwaizumi. I’m here because I was asked to be, and I don’t mind taking this on,” Oikawa continued to narrate his thoughts out loud as his eyes followed an invisible trail of wind. Eventually, the brown orbs that glittered on his face landed on Iwaizumi. “Why are you trying so hard to send me away?” </p><p>Entranced, Iwaizumi had to rub a hand into his eyes in order to break away from Oikawa’s gaze. Truth be told, he couldn’t answer that question well; he barely knew Oikawa. In the end, Oikawa was just a friend of Matsukawa, and that was the biggest factor right now. It sounded shallow, but Iwaizumi didn’t have much else to offer him. If there were more reasons to give him, the prince didn’t know what they were. “Matsukawa didn’t think it would be a good idea for you to be here, and it’s not as though I need another attendant or guard.” Iwaizumi swallowed his nerves, lips pressed into a thin line. “Really, Oikawa. You don’t have to pretend to want to stay here.”</p><p>Oikawa just shook his head in response, chuckling to himself. “Don’t listen to Mattsun when it comes to me. I’ll be just fine here.”</p><p>Iwaizumi was, amazed, to say the last. In front of him was someone who had been thrown into the deep end of life, but was still laughing everything off. The sight of a complete stranger giggling despite everything going wrong was something that would occupy his mind for the next while. Iwaizumi sighed in resignation, hanging his head and shaking it briefly before lifting it up again to see the sky beginning to darken. Winter had no mercy and always took the sun away so quickly. “If you say so,” he said softly, finally caving. </p><p>“Oi, it’s getting dark out already!” The voices of Yahaba and Matsukawa brought their messy conversation to a close, symbolizing the end of the day and the need to get Oikawa back home for tonight. </p><p>As quickly as he could, Iwaizumi snatched the chance to turn away from the taller male, now focusing his attention on the two that were heading their way. He waved them over, shuddering as the cold gust suddenly whipped across his neck. “We should be heading inside then, turn around already,” Iwaizumi called out to the pair. Wordlessly and almost awkwardly, he walked away from Oikawa with brisk steps, not allowing him to say anything else. Whatever words were on the tip of Oikawa’s tongue, Iwaizumi wanted nothing to do with them. </p><p>After a short walk, all four of them back inside, Iwaizumi finally shifted his gaze back to Oikawa, sharp green eyes landing on his gentle hazel ones. “So, um…” He could barely keep his voice steady. It felt odd that someone he had just met held this much power over him already. “When did my father say you have to start living here?” </p><p>“By Sunday,” Oikawa replied a little too casually. “I have the entire weekend to move all my things, but I’m pretty sure I’ll just be bringing clothes over.”</p><p>Iwaizumi managed to catch the look on Yahaba’s face when he sighed. ‘<em> Stop sighing, you’ll deflate your lungs by the time you’re 35,’  </em> his friend had once told him. He furrowed an eyebrow at the herbalist. <em> Shut it, </em>Iwaizumi shouted at Yahaba internally. “Got it. I’ll see you then.” Not a second later, he had already turned heel and speed walked down the hallway, leaving the other three in his silent wake. He didn’t bother to listen to whatever Matsukawa called after him.</p>
<hr/><p>Oikawa stared down the dark hallway that Iwaizumi had disappeared in, lips parted as though he was left with words that he didn’t get to say. In which case, he was. A hand reached up to brush the fringe that had fallen across his forehead, his eyes closing briefly as he ruffled it through. “Not even a goodbye,” he hummed to himself. </p><p>“Just ignore him. He’ll warm up to you eventually,” Yahaba chimed in as Matsukawa gave him a light tap on the small of his back. </p><p>“He can take his time doing that,” Oikawa said from behind the hand that was muffling a chuckle. “I may have annoyed him just a tadge.” </p><p>Matsukawa didn’t miss a beat. “You told him to let you stay, didn’t you?” It was posed as a question, but Oikawa felt more interrogated than simply asked. He hesitated to answer, which only made Matsukawa roll his eyes in irritation. “Oh my god, Tooru, I can’t believe you-”</p><p>“My life;” Oikawa started softly, locking Matsukawa’s gaze with his. “My decision,” he finished. The air felt thick with tension around the three, but Oikawa paid no attention to it. Instead, he adjusted the cuffs on his sleeves before waving to Yahaba and walking away. “Come on, Mattsun. You still gotta drive me home.” </p><p><br/>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>anyway if you so desire, i'm on twitter @/iwaizoomies_ !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. green and gold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>oikawa has arrived</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>finals are done and i wrote this at 1am in two hours. fear not, chapter 4 will be here shortly after as an apology for this sad excuse of a chapter 3 &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sunday arrived far quicker than Oikawa would have liked. That morning, as the sun started to blanket the sky with a light that could only be rivaled by the dull, captivating shine of the moon, Oikawa watched as what once was dark was now suddenly overtaken by another kind of scenery. Magic hour was a fitting name for this period of time; it was the only word that managed to capture the beauty of it without using a picture.</p><p><br/>
The glow of the sky highlighted every speck of magic that Oikawa held in his own eyes. He practically stored the stars in his gaze.</p><p><br/>
Exhaling softly and seeing his breath fog up the glass as a result, Oikawa ghosted his fingers over the window, clearing away the blur and staring into the sky. There wasn’t much running through his head other than the fact that this was his last morning here at home. The idle noises of rustling filled the room as Oikawa flopped back onto his bed before rolling off of it. He didn’t bother to catch himself before he hit the ground, and instead allowed a thud to echo through the house before letting out a groan and propping himself up. Oikawa considered lying there for another 10 minutes, but quickly found that option disappearing when he heard a voice calling to him from the hallway.</p><p><br/>
“Tooru, if you somehow manage to damage this house on your last day living here, you’re going to be paying rent <em>even if</em> you don’t live here anymore.”</p><p><br/>
Oikawa just scoffed in response, sitting up with much effort. “Makki,” he whined as innocently as he could. “I fell off the bed, you could at least be nice.”</p><p><br/>
Hanamaki swung the door open dangerously close to Oikawa’s head, causing a flurry of complaints and curses to spill out from the sorcerer’s mouth. “Shut up, you’ll wake Kunimi,” Hanamaki hissed at the writhing male on the ground. “And this is my last chance to be mean to you, so suck it up.”</p><p><br/>
“This is the worst send-off party,” Oikawa muttered, finally quieting down and now staring at the other with eyes that looked like they had lost all their light. Even if they had light to begin with, Hanamaki’s next words stole the rest of it.</p><p><br/>
“It’s more of a party for me and Kunimi. We can’t wait to see you leave,” Hanamaki jeered from above him.</p><p><br/>
If looks could be called homicidal, that’s exactly what Oikawa’s face was conveying. Before he could get up to his feet to chase Hanamaki, he had already gotten up and left the brown haired male alone in his room, calling “Blame Kunimi!” As he dashed down the hallway.</p><p><br/>
Oikawa couldn’t help but feel thankful that Hanamaki was acting so casual about it. In all the years that he had practically raised Oikawa, Hanamaki was never someone to show aggressive expression, and was instead fluent in the language of affectionate sarcasm. The sorcerer never complained about it; it wasn’t like Oikawa was a master at normal affection anyway. But despite the lightness of Hanamaki’s voice, there was a weight that his words dripped that even someone like him failed to mask.</p><p><br/>
They were both dreading the idea that Oikawa would now be living in a place that no person like him would ever want to step into. Of course, neither of them were willing to admit that, but it was evident in Oikawa’s shaky legs that he had no desire to go at all. Eventually, he got to picking himself up off the ground, bangs brushing against his forehead as they bounced on his head. With the daylight beginning to break, he headed into the kitchen, where he found himself reading a printer sized piece of paper that said “good luck” in rather crude writing. Oikawa found himself snickering at the sight, sending a glance at Kunimi who was sleeping on a couch that was just visible from where he stood in the kitchen.</p><p><br/>
“He spent more time than you think he did on that banner,” Hanamaki remarked from behind.</p><p><br/>
A raised eyebrow spoke all the teasing doubt that Oikawa didn’t bother voicing out. “What, 32 seconds?”</p><p><br/>
“More than. That was his third attempt. I think he even hit two minutes.”</p><p><br/>
“Shocker,” Oikawa grinned, biting down on his lip to stop the expression on his face from getting anymore ridiculous. Even Hanamaki was having a difficult time keeping the laughter that was bubbling between the two of them low. Before they knew it, the pair burst into a fit of giggles, waking Kunimi (and angering him). The boy’s usual blank face was tinged with a certain kind of endearment, but it was one that could be mistaken as rude if you didn’t look close enough.</p><p><br/>
“Damn. I was hoping you would be gone by the time I woke up,” Kunimi said bluntly, no longer fazed by the way Oikawa’s eyes glowed after hearing the words.</p><p><br/>
Oikawa clicked his tongue, dramatically crossing his arms and turning his head away.”Who let you be so sarcastic all of a sudden?”</p><p><br/>
“Hanamaki said I could up the sarcasm to make up for you leaving.”</p><p><br/>
Next to Oikawa, Hanamaki made the poor effort to muffle a snort, ultimately ending in more laughter from the light haired male.</p><p><br/>
“Okay, okay,” Oikawa huffed, waving his hand up and down in front of Hanamaki’s face. “But now you have to admit that you’ll miss my jokes,” he crooned, a smirk forming on his face.<br/>
Now in the middle of wiping his tears away, Hanamaki exhaled softly to regain himself before shooting a smirk right back at Oikawa. “I’ll miss it, but I think I’ll enjoy finally hearing Kunimi talk more than I’ll miss your shitty comebacks.”</p><p><br/>
“Makki,” Oikawa cried his name like a young child would, lacking the ability to string together the words that he wanted to say back. But even with the constant flow of insults that his friends threw at him, Oikawa knew that they loved him all the same. Even if it didn’t always sound like they did. “Would it kill you two to be just a little bit nicer today?”</p><p><br/>
“Yes.” Kunimi and Hanamaki chorused the word, their voices the perfect harmony of sarcasm and genuine care.</p><p><br/>
Oikawa watched as Kunimi shifted his position on the couch, expecting to come face to face with the younger’s usual wooden face, but was instead greeted by Kunimi’s eyes glittering and moist. His lips parted at the sight, surprised that Kunimi was even capable of crying. Not a second had passed since Oikawa lifted his hand and opened his mouth even further to begin to speak, but Kunimi slid his words in before the sorcerer even had a chance.</p><p><br/>
“I don’t want to hear it from the person who was trying not to cry into his pillow last night,” Kunimi said dully, firing the harsh words at Oikawa consistently.</p><p><br/>
With a humoured sigh, Oikawa shook his head before tilting it. “You could just say you’ll miss me you know.”</p><p><br/>
The tutting that came from Kunimi filled the room quickly. “Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here already. When are you leaving?”</p><p><br/>
“I thought he was leaving when Issei got here.”</p><p>“That should be in around two hours.”</p><p><br/>
As if the universe wanted to play a perfectly timed prank on Oikawa, the front door clicked open, announcing the arrival of Oikawa’s ride away to his new home. A grimace etched itself onto the sorcerer’s features as he slowly turned his head towards the hallway. For a moment, Oikawa could practically hear his eye twitching as he watched Matsukawa turn the corner into the kitchen area.<br/>
“Why are you here? At literally eight in the morning?” Oikawa deadpanned the question, one eyebrow lowered to emphasize the frustration. “Out of all the days you could have chosen to be early, you choose today.”</p><p><br/>
There was a thud that echoed through the hallway when Matsukawa set his bag on the ground, which was quickly followed by the sound of Matsukawa’s hand hitting Oikawa’s shoulder. Oikawa grunted at the contact, moving his gaze to stare at the expression on Matsukawa’s face that mirrored his own.</p><p><br/>
“I was asked to come early so that you have time to organize your quarters and explore more of the castle today.” Matsukawa deadpanned the answer back, eyes lazy and arms crossed.</p><p> </p><p>Without a second thought, Oikawa sent a mental finger flick onto Matsukawa’s brain, whipping his head around and whistling suspiciously guilty when the other casted an angry glance at him. “What?” Oikawa sneered jokingly, sticking his tongue out at Matsukawa like he was 11 years old.</p><p><br/>
A groan echoed across the room from the youngest, who had now slumped against the arm of the couch he was on. “Can you get him out of here already?”</p><p><br/>
“Quit it already Kunimi. You’ll never get rid of me completely anyway,” the sorcerer gloated again, now dragging his eyelid down to make silly faces. But the expression lasted only a few seconds, disappearing when Oikawa caught a glimpse of the daylight breaking outside. Silence weighed on him the same way a wave would crash onto the beach; deafening. Without a word, Oikawa dropped his hand to his side, the sun beginning to create little embers that sparked in his eyes. He could feel the weight of his friends’ gazes on his shoulders, along with the increasing heaviness of reality beginning to set into his bones.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As gentle brown eyes latched onto the light outside, deep green ones peered at the sun from his own viewpoint in the castle; distanced, but closer than either of them realized.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Eventually, Oikawa cleared his throat to also clear the air, ignoring the awkward atmosphere that had briefly settled in the room. “So, I’ll cook breakfast?”<br/>
“I refuse to let you burn down the house on your last day here.”<br/>
“Makki!”</p>
<hr/><p>A backpack stuffed with last minute items sat rather uncomfortably on Oikawa’s lap, causing him to grunt everytime Matsukawa hit a bump on the road. Not even halfway up the mountain where their destination was located, Oikawa reached out an awkward arm to give his driver the weakest hit he had ever felt in his life.</p><p><br/>
“You must really hate the idea of me coming to live a hallway down from you if you’re trying to kill me here,” Oikawa grunted, his other arm grabbing onto the door handle to stop himself from jarring around.</p><p><br/>
Matsukawa just raised a skeptical eyebrow, the corners of his mouth pulled into a slight grin. “Well, if you don’t want to live through this, then dying is your only option.”</p><p><br/>
The sound that caught in the sorcerer’s throat left Matsukawa laughing and the car swerving as they swung dangerously fast around a corner on the mountain. “Okay, but I still want to <em>live</em>, Mattsun!” Oikawa raised his voice to drown the noise of the tires against the road out. He could have sworn the taste of death was there on the tip of his tongue.</p><p><br/>
The car eventually slowed to a steady pace as the fog from the mountain ate away Matsukawa’s line of vision. As grey hues mixed with dark green ones, Oikawa could feel the thoughts in his head swirling the same way the trees and the mist merged into one unknown mass. He was just breathing now, his hands rigid against the backpack that he clutched to his stomach. And yet, his gaze was gently blistering with the ferocity of a thousand suns. He would never know why he felt so calm while on the way to impending danger, but Oikawa let it happen. When the fog around them lifted, Oikawa cast a look at the sky. Blue; the same colour his mother’s eyes glinted when she lulled him to sleep. The colour of the lake he had used to visit as a young child. Blue; the colour of familiarity.</p><p><br/>
But there was another colour that seeped into Oikawa’s vision, no matter how hard he tried to focus on the sky.</p><p><br/>
Green; the colour of the trees that surrounded his new home. The colour that meant he was somewhere different.</p><p><br/>
Green; the colour of someone unfamiliar.</p>
<hr/><p>Oikawa wasted no time in getting his things in order. Luckily for him, his room (quarters, as Matsukawa begged him to call it) was close to the prince’s himself. The sorcerer assumed it was simply for easy access, but was shocked to find that it was one of the only empty rooms left. For a castle this large, they seemed to have a shortage of places for everyone to live in. Oikawa shifted his gaze to the barred window, streaks of sunlight decorating the tile floor that he was sitting on. Truth be told, he was exhausted from a restless night of sleep and from waking up at an ungodly hour. But in the back of his mind, he could hear Matsukawa hissing at him to get moving and meet him in the main hallway. If only Oikawa remembered where that was.<br/>
With a sigh, he slowly lifted himself up from the ground, brushing the dust off his black jeans before adjusting the collar on his jacket. A puff of air from his mouth worked to blow his bangs away from his face ever so slightly, but after a look in the mirror, Oikawa quickly brushed it back down. Hair up was never really his thing. He stood there for a moment, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes and watching the dust fly up from his shirt into the air where they danced and glittered under the sun. Just like how stars flickered in the sky, a chuckle flashed across his face, but quickly vanished when his door slammed open.</p><p><br/>
Oikawa snapped his head around, his eyes hardening when he saw an expressionless face at the door. “Would it really...” the sorcerer paused angrily, rubbing his index and middle fingers into his temples, “...kill you, to <em>knock first?</em>”</p><p><br/>
“Yes, yes it would.” Matsukawa stated plainly, his voice sounding like an empty shell of a human. He had lived here for too long, and now his newest form of entertainment was an old friend who had just moved in.</p><p><br/>
Oikawa could see his sanity waving goodbye.</p><p><br/>
“Okay, fine, what do you want?” He grumbled, turning back to fluff his hair up in the mirror.</p><p><br/>
“To avoid getting in trouble. Now hurry up before Iwaizumi gets mad at both of us.”</p><p><br/>
Oikawa clicked his tongue, the thought of meeting the prince again now becoming a solid presence in his head and not the puff of smoke of an idea that he could wave away easily. An image of Iwaizumi flashed through his head, the colour green tinting every corner of his mind, and the word “mysterious” echoing subconsciously every chance it got. As much as Oikawa shook his head, the lingering wisps of whatever he was feeling danced in his head. That would be a problem for later.</p><p><br/>
His steps carried no real drive to them as he walked behind Matsukawa, following him idly to the main hall. During Matsukawa’s last castle tour, he didn’t take the time to stop inside the main hall, so Oikawa took the chance now to trace the patterns on the walls. The walls were glazed and painted over with white, with green and gold trails cascading down from the ceiling and onto the drapes that were hung on the pillars. <em>How fitting.</em></p><p><br/>
The sorcerer halted in his tracks when he bumped straight into Matsukawa, who released a grunt of annoyance.</p><p><br/>
“Focus on where you’re going,” His friend grumbled, elbowing Oikawa lightly while subtly nodding his head towards Iwaizumi, who was scrolling through his phone while mindlessly fiddling with a utensil at the same time. Oikawa had never seen something so ordinarily special.</p><p><br/>
He left his gaze to linger at those green eyes that had somehow engraved themselves into his memory, but quickly looked away when they turned to meet his. Awkward and almost regretting the fact that he was allowing himself to stare, Oikawa cleared his throat before coming forward and bowing in front of the prince. “It’s nice to see you again, Prince Iwaizumi.” Iwaizumi wore a brief grimace in return, and Oikawa soon realized that he seemed to hate his title not just in public, but in general.</p><p><br/>
“There’s no need for formalities.” The words came out with a sigh as Iwaizumi rose from his seat. “I’m glad to see you made it here safely, Oikawa. I trust that Matsukawa was good to you?”<br/>
A laugh hitched in Oikawa’s throat, knowing exactly what he was going to say, and also knowing what Matsukawa was thinking. “Not exactly, but he never has been,” he replied through a suppressed smile and stifled laughter.</p><p><br/>
“That’s besides the point,” Matsukawa interjected, sounding almost panicked.</p><p><br/>
Oikawa grinned like a weasel, mischievous and teasing, and laughed even more so when he heard Iwaizumi’s soft chuckles. He found it weird, really; how someone he despised by association to the king was now in front of him, laughing. Fate was an odd thing, but he trusted it nonetheless. After all, fate was maybe giving him a new friend. Maybe.</p><p><br/>
“Matsukawa,” Iwaizumi finally said, having recovered from his brief moment of laughter. “Please explain to Oikawa what he might do while he’s here.”</p><p><br/>
Both Oikawa and Matsukawa tilted their heads, baffled that Iwaizumi had started collecting his empty plate into his arms and was making ready to leave.</p><p><br/>
“Iwaizumi, shouldn’t you be the one-”</p><p><br/>
“I’ll leave him in your care.”</p><p><br/>
The prince left no room for discussion, giving instead a curt nod before turning on his heel and walking away. Oikawa’s gaze trailed after Iwaizumi, not bothering to tear it away until the other had removed himself from sight.</p><p><br/>
The sorcerer’s next words ring gently like little bells, innocent and pure. “He doesn’t like me right now, does he?”</p><p><br/>
He looked beside him to see Matsukawa hunched over in defeat. “Just give him a few days, I’m sure he’ll warm up to you.”</p><p><br/>
Oikawa scoffed confidently, raising an eyebrow towards the human equivalent of frustration. “Of course he will. The sun sets everyday, doesn’t it?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>why does the spacing look so weird on this chapter omg <br/>twt: @/iwaizoomies_</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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